Cayden Hess plays hard every game. It just looks like he elevates his performance at the most opportune times.

Hess was at his best the past two postseasons, helping Jersey Shore reach the state’s Final 4 both times, as well as the 2020 Class AAAA state championship. And the senior is doing it again this year.

Hess caught his seventh state tournament touchdown over the past three years in Saturday’s 30-6 state quarterfinal win against Meadville. The two-time all-state selection caught a 56-yard strike from Brady Jordan in the second quarter, a play which triggered a game-changing, 17-point flurry over the final 4 minutes, 50 seconds of the first half. Making those types of plays in games like those has become the norm and Hess has played a key role in Jersey Shore going 11-2 during the playoffs these last three years.

“It’s just the grind. This is what we work for all season,” Hess said. “I want to get to the final game every year.”

The catches are just a means to an end. Hess really does not care if he catches 10 pass or no passes, as long as Jersey Shore wins. Whatever he must do to make that happen, he will go after it hard. The next challenge comes Friday when Jersey Shore faces Aliquippa in the state semifinals.

Still, as the weather grows colder and the games grow meaningful, Hess has shown a knack for coming on strong. All the time he puts in when nobody is watching comes shining through when the state is watching.

Hess burst onto the scene during a breakout sophomore season and scored two overtime touchdowns when Jersey Shore rallied from 21 down and beat Pottsville in the 2019 state quarterfinals. A year ago, Hess caught 13 passes for 162 yards and two scores as Jersey Shore again battled back and defeated Lampeter-Strasburg, 39-35 in the state semifinals.

Hess did not score against Allentown Central Catholic in this year’s state tournament opener, but his four catches resulted in first downs and all came on scoring drives. That included two big catches on third-and-long, extending a fourth-quarter touchdown drive which put Jersey Shore up, 20-7. Then there was last Saturday when Hess gained a step on his defender, hauled in a well-thrown Jordan pass and went the rest of the way untouched, putting Jersey Shore ahead, 14-6.

“That helped tremendously,” fellow wide receiver Kooper Peacock said. “We couldn’t get anything started on offense but then just like that, one play got us going. It was a big momentum changer.”

“He means so much to the team,” Jordan said. “It makes it easy on me to have a guy like that who I can throw to. He makes every catch.”

Hess helped spark Jersey Shore’s playoff push when he returned a first-quarter interception for a touchdown against Lewisburg in the district semifinals. He topped 100 yards in that contest and again the next week when he reeled in six catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in a 41-0 championship win over Selinsgrove. Hess has gone over 100 yards five times in playoff games these last three seasons.

And it’s not just at wide receiver where Hess makes a big impact. The senior cornerback receiving Division I interest intercepted a pass which set up a last-second field goal, giving Jersey Shore a 24-6 halftime lead against Meadville. Hess has 12 interceptions over the past two seasons, second among area players, and his end zone interception in the Lampeter-Strasburg game helped seal that momentous victory.

“Someone brought up before the game that these group of seniors, guys like Cayden and Karter Peacock, have been in nine state playoff games in their careers,” Jersey Shore coach Tom Gravish said. “They are leaders and we kind of expect those kind of guys to make those plays.”

Hess has made them time after time. He has taken a blow torch to the area record book and is the all-time leader in catches (194), yards (2,788) and touchdowns (30). Hess is the only player in area history to top 50 catches and 900 yards in three consecutive seasons and only a condensed season a year ago prevented him from a 1,000-yard campaign. So consistent has Hess been that he has produced 60 more catches than No. 2 on the area’s career list while twice earning all-state honors.

The numbers are impressive but do not impress Hess. His favorite catch is the next one. His focus is on team goals, not individual honors.

Jersey Shore has knocked on the state championship door the past two seasons and Hess, like his teammates, is doing everything he can to help kick it down.

“All the hard work we put in since January is paying off right now,” Hess said. “We’re not done yet. We’ve got to keep working.”

Hess has done that every year at Jersey Shore. He is not just productive, but also a tone setter. Hess is a team captain, a strong student and the kind of player who epitomizes what Jersey Shore football has been all about during a fabulous nine-year run which includes six district championships and three straight Final 4 appearances.

The catches and records are nice, but they do not define Hess. His effort does.

“He’s a great leader. He’s a playmaker and he goes up and gets it,” Kooper Peacock said. “We love having him on the team.”